Tablet. Smartphone. Connections every hour. And sometimes even the little ones stay connected both day and night. All with aexposure to blue light which may not only affect eyesight. Indeed, it is hypothesized that this type of light could also affect the normal hormonal rhythms of the girls, accelerating the race towards puberty. This is supported by research on animals conducted by scholars from Ankara City Hospital / Children’s, presented at the congress of the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology.
What happens in animals?
The researchers used an animal model and found that excessive exposure to blue light, typically emitted by tablets and smartphones, causes a hormonal disruptionwith reduced levels of melatonin, elevated levels of specific reproductive hormones, estradiol and lutenizing, along with physical changes in ovarian tissue.
All these risk factors that increase the odds of one precocious puberty and future fertility problems. Specifically, the female mice were divided into three groups of 6: one group was exposed to a normal light cycle, the second to 6 hours of blue light, and the third to 12 hours. The first signs of puberty occurred significantly earlier in both groups exposed to blue light. Furthermore, the longer the duration of exposure, the earlier the onset of puberty occurred, and the rats also showed some signs of cell damage and inflammation in the ovaries.
“The researchers highlighted that exposure to blue light is sufficient to alter the levels of hormones that are fundamental in regulating puberty and that this effect is” dose-dependent “: the longer the exposure, the earlier puberty begins” – they comment. Mariacarolina Salerno, vice-president of the European congress and president of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology (SIEDP) and Stefano Cianfarani, president of the European congress, full professor of pediatrics at the Tor Vergata University of Rome and head of the Diabetology and Pathology Unit of expansion of the Bambino Gesù hospital in Rome. We could assume that a disruption of brain neurotransmitters induced by a excessive use of electronic devicescould act as a more powerful trigger on neurons that produce gonadotropins, stimulating the function of the testes and ovaries ”.
Let me be clear: we are only atbeginning of a path that must be explored and above all, these theories must really be demonstrated. According to the scholars, the results come from an animal model: “We cannot be sure that they can be the same even in girls and further investigations will be needed to better understand the potential impact of blue light exposure on hormone levels and the onset of puberty. early”.
When do we talk about precocious puberty?
In Italy precocious puberty is counted among the rare diseases and it affects 1 to 6 births per 1000, in Europe it affects about 5% of girls and about 1% of boys. “Premature puberty occurs with the onset of signs of pubertal development before the age of 8 for females and before the age of 9 for males – explain Salerno and Cianfarani – The changes are linked to the production of hormones produced by the pituitary gland, called gonadotropins, which stimulate the function of the testes and ovaries. The child’s body – they continue – begins to transform into an adult ahead of time, with an acceleration of the development of sexual characteristics and a rapid closure of the bone growth cartilages. As a result of this process, children grow quickly in height, but then the peak runs out and as adults they can have a lower than average stature ”.
Certainly there is that diagnosis it must be done by specialized centers. In addition to blood chemistry tests and bone x-rays to evaluate the baby’s actual bone age, an ultrasound check is also necessary in order to evaluate the uterine size. Also according to the expert, an MRI scan that allows to study the hypothalamus and pituitary gland can also help in the differential diagnosis. Then we think about the treatment that must always be set on a case-by-case basis.